1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to table soccer or fussball game structures, and more particularly, to an improved bumper for positioning on an actuating rod adjacent a playing figure.
2. History Of the Prior Art
The game of table soccer, also known as fussball, has developed into a very popular pastime in recent years. Players of the game have likewise advanced in the skill necessary for competitive play. These developments have led to a myriad of improvements in the game table structure. Such improvements are shown in several U.S. patents including U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,382,598 and 3,926,432. As set forth therein, both the game table construction and the playing figures themselves have been designed for better reliability, ball control and player enjoyment.
Fussball game tables typically include a rectangular, boxlike playing area supported on a plurality of legs at about waist height of a player. A plurality of axially slidable and rotatable actuating rods are mounted to extend transversely of the playing area. The actuating rods mount a plurality of playing figures which are arranged above the playing surface of the table in a preselected formation. A ball is placed in the playing surface and propelled by sharply rotating the actuating rods so that a foot of a playing figure strikes the ball and propels it along the playing surface toward one of the two goals located in opposite end walls.
In playing the game of table soccer, skilled players repeatedly manipulate the playing ball back and forth between adjacent ones of their playing figures to set up a clear path between the ball and their opponent's goal opening. Such manipulation includes passing the ball from one playing figure to another. A pass is affected through propelling the ball to one figure by striking it with the foot portion of a different figure. Another technique often used by players is that of manipulating a ball transversely with the rear foot portion of a figure and then suddenly circling the ball and shooting with the front of the foot portion. A ball passed from one figure to another is best caught with a receiving figure by first rotating the associated actuating rod to raise the foot portion to trap the ball between the foot portion and the playing surface of the table.
Such maneuvers also require the rapid axial movement of the actuating rods. The actuating rods are constructed to be shoved or pulled across the table playing surface at great speeds. This results in the playing figures, disposed on opposite ends of the rods, impacting upon the side walls of the table. The impact results in the need to dissipate considerable energy. It is for this reason that fiber washers are usually positioned on the outside of each playing figure and the reason that rubber bumpers are usually disposed outwardly of each outside playing figure on the actuation rod. The rubber bumpers are utilized to absorb the impact energy of the playing figure and rod assembly that rams into the side wall area. The bumpers must thus be able to absorb the impact energy and maintain their resilience while being exposed to the rough environment of a fussball game structure.
The environment of a fussball game structure includes smoke, beverages and various chemicals such as the lubricant conventionally utilized upon actuation rods for maintaining the lubricity thereof. It is necessary that the rods move both rotationally and axially with great ease, and considerable attention has been given to the design of fussball game tables to maintain the smoothness with which the rods move. The application of silicon and the debris and dirt picked up by the silicon is therefore deposited upon the bumpers disposed upon the rods. The material from which the bumpers are made must be able to withstand both the abrasive action as well as the chemical action from the silicon and other chemicals. Because many tables are placed in commercial establishments where beer and wine are sold and where routine table maintenance is at a minimum, it is necessary that the reliability of the rubber bumpers be maximized.
Problems associated with conventional bumpers are numerous. Chemical degradation can reduce the effectiveness of the bumper over prolonged use due to the high impact forces associated therewith. If a hard bumper material is utilized to accommodate the aspect of deterioration, the shock absorbing efficiency is usually greatly reduced. If a softer rubber bumper is utilized, it quickly deteriorates under the repeated pounding from the playing figures as well as the chemical deterioration and mechanical abrasion. It would be an advantage to provide the reliability and longevity of a hard rubber bumper with the flexibility of a soft rubber bumper in a single configuration that would provide maximum shock absorbing effectiveness and minimum use deterioration.
The present invention overcomes disadvantages of the prior art bumper designs by providing a bumper constructed of relatively hard rubber in a configuration affording improved shock absorption. A plurality of apertures are formed in the hard rubber bumper body to, within predefined limits, weaken the bumper structurally, thereby affording a higher degree of resilience and shock absorption while presenting a material capable of withstanding the mechanical and chemical environment of a fussball game table.